In the Junkyard
by inklet101
Summary: Mikey was standing on the truck when suddenly everything was exploding and he saw red. He felt himself falling, but couldn't move. Then, the world went black.
1. BOOM

I do not own these characters(wouldn't life be nice if I did?). None of them are my creation.

Yeah, I realize this chapter is really short, but I don't have enough time to keep adding onto it to make it bigger and I like where I ended it. Tell me what you think! All flames will be used for roasting marshmellows and making s'mores!

Chapter One

"Don, why can't you get these genius urges of yours later in the morning? Like, when I can walk without falling over? You do know it's like, four in the morning." Michelangelo complained, rubbing his eyes and glaring in the general direction of his older brother, who, as usual, was not in the least bothered by the other's inconvenience.

"That's the whole point, Mikey. The sooner we get out there, the less of a chance we'll run into anyone. I don't want to get interrupted. This'll be one awesome bike!" Mikey rolled his eyes at the back of Donatello's head.

"Then why isn't Raph out here?" He demanded, taking a few hop steps to get in front of his brother and trot backwards. "It's his bike, isn't it?"

"Yup." Don nodded. "But he was out with Casey all night and came home exhausted. No use in waking him up and making him even grumpier than usual."

"Of course. Raph gets off cause he's grumpy. What about me? Can't I get off cause I'm pretty?" Mikey wanted to know, splaying his hands out.

"Uh, no."

"Would you have made _me_ come if _I_ had been out all night with Casey?" There was a pause as Donatello thought and then,

"Probably. But you're like the epitomy of massive energy that never stops circulating within your messed-up turtlized system. You could run for miles if I told you that you were missing your shows." Mikey blinked and ran into a trash can.

"All I got out of that was turtlized." He protested and Don grinned.

"Mission accomplished! Think on that one while you eat my dust!" He took off, taking several large leaps in order to gain distance. Using his bo staff to propel him up, he swung onto a firescape and ran up it.

"Turtlizied system, my shell." Mikey yelled at him. "But there's no way I'll eat your dust!" He leapt up to a window and leapt off of it, grabbing a clothesline and swinging up to where Donatello waited, arms crossed.

"And that's the Battle Nexus Champion's grand performance! Thank you, thank you!" He bowed. Don watched, shaking his head.

"Ever noticed I'm the only one who doesn't headslap you when you mention that? You know if Leo or Master Splinter had stayed in it, you'd've been out of there so fast that-"

"Details, details!" Mikey flapped his hands. "What happened to the sooner we get there?"

"Waiting on you!" Don said, trotting across the building's top and hopping off the edge. Mikey followed, muttering. They landed next to the closed-off section of the junkyard, where trucks came at six and at noon to dump their trash. Apparently Don had had this _amazing_ idea for Raphael's new ShellCycle, as the last one had been trashed in a scirmish with the Purple Dragons and Master Splinter had decreed that someone go with him, since while normal citizens weren't exactly lively at four in the morning, criminals might be and someone had to keep watch while Don foraged.

"Do ya want me to keep watch or help?" Mikey asked, perching on the fence, ignoring the wires that did little harm to his tough skin. Don brought out his bo staff and vaulted over the fence, landing lightly a few feet to the left of Michelangelo.

"Just keep watch for now. If you get too bored, then you can help. The Purple Dragons may have claimed this place since we last came." Mikey nodded, still crouched on top of the fence, facing across the junkyard. He kept alert, though his mind kept travelling back to his bed and how he could be watching a premiere of one of his shows right now and-

"Mikey!"

"Aahh!" He jerked and glanced down at Donatello, who hadn't even inched from his position, watching his younger brother with amusement.

"Get down here, you goof." He ordered, hiding a grin as the subdued turtle scrambled down. "Help me, since you're no good up there." Mikey muttered indignantly, but obeyed, following Don into the rubble. They started burying into the hills, working to find tires, engine pieces, and whatever Don thought might be useful. They went through all kinds of junk and Mikey was sure he'd have never used any of it for anything he'd ever touch again, but at Don's insistence, he kept on searching and collecting. Finally, it was nearly six in the morning and the sun was peeking out of the clouds like a shy child. Mikey was pretty tired, hauling pieces of junk back and forth at Don's direction. His older brother ordered him about, but watched him secretly, wondering why he was suddenly so obedient. It was strange, he thought. Obedience had never been Mikey's strong point, though Leonardo and Master Splinter had usually managed to get something out of him.

"Don, can we take a break now?" The turtle sat down without waiting for any agreement, making Donatello sigh to himself. So much for obedient.

"Sure, after this one last piece of equipment. It's up there, on top of the old truck. See it?" Mikey pouted, but got no luck so he got up and hopped from ledge to ledge until he reached the truck and picked up the small span of metal.

"This what you wanted?" He called down and then jerked. Something was wrong. It was like a sixth sense that warned him to get off of the truck _now_. He quickly jumped for the nearest ledge and suddenly, everything was red. All he heard was an earsplitting crack and then his world went black.

_Boom._ Donatello's animal instincts went into overdrive and he shot away from the explosion, slamming into the fence and covering his head as debris fell like rain around him. Terror took ahold of him and he whirled around, regardless of the danger, crying out,

"Mikey!!" With panic.

Smoke enveloped the hilly junkyard but Don ran for it anyway, dodging falling pieces of metal, iron, and plastic. He nearly smacked into a pile of rubble and flew over it, searching with his hands and his eyes for his little brother.

"MIKEY!" Donatello knocked a plastic cartoon away from the pile where Mikey had been, taking his bo staff and prodding the junk carefully, afraid to loosen anything that might make it collapse. What really worried him was the idea that his brother might have been pinned beneath something and if he moved, it would collapse on Mikey and kill him. He bit his lip and forced himself to stop panicking. He wasn't helping anyone by hyperventilating. Breathing as evenly as he could, Don called Mikey's name out again,

"Michelangelo!"

The word felt so strange on his tongue. He never called Mikey that, but he hoped the instinctive reaction to Master Splinter or Leo's rebuke that usually used his whole name would revive him from unconsciousness, which was what he really hoped was Mikey's state. _No, Mikey can't be dead. He can't be._

"Wh-what? Wha's going on- Umph!" Donatello heard the ominous creak of something giving under enormous weight.

"Mikey, don't move! Talk to me! Are you hurt? Where are you?" He demanded, turning in a quick circle.

"Uh, o-kay." Don bit his lip, hating the shaky sound to his cheerful brother's voice. There was a pause as Mikey got his bearings. "Um, well, my arm hurts a lot. Especially my elbow." The olive green turtle nodded, turning again and locating his brother by the sound of his voice.

"Uh, my leg burns. It feels like it's bleeding or something. And my head hurts too. A lot." Don strode up to the pile where Mikey's voice was immerging.

"Are you dizzy?" He asked, knowing that was one of the signs of head trauma.

"A little. It's not that bad, though."

"O-kay, just don't move. Even shifting might cause all the stuff on top of you to fall." Examining the pile, Don saw that the truck Mikey had been standing on was now on top of Mikey, probably held up by his shell.

"That's not scary at all, considering there's a truck on my back." Don heard the sarcasm in Mikey's voice, probably used to cover up the fear that was there too. He knew what was on him. Don swallowed, saying,

"Listen, unless I know it won't collapse on you and crush you, I can't do anything. I'm going to-" He stopped and whirled around. Mikey's voice sounded, worriedly,

"What? What is it, Donnie?" Donatello gazed at the line of gangsters who were grinning menacingly at him, all armed with pipes, chainsaws, and other random weapons. He sighed, pulling out his bo staff and falling into a fighting stance.

_Aw, shell._


	2. Not Such a Good Day

Thanks to all who reviewed! It took me a whole lot less time than I thought to finish this chapter. There's some action and plenty of Purple Dragon butt-kicking! As well as Mikey-ranting, but I won't spoil everything. Please review! I'll give you a cookie!

If I owned TMNT, I would be using my ideas on the movies and shows. All flames will be used to roast marshmellows and to burn my homework!

Chapter Two

"Don! What's going on?!" Don heard the panic in Mikey's voice, as well as the creaking of rusty machinery and metal parts as the younger turtle shifted.

"Don't move! It'll fall!" He snapped back, keeping an eye on the watching Dragons. There was a good fifteen or so of them, more than he'd ever seen together in one place. What surprised Donatello was that Hun wasn't in sight. Where was the tattooed leader of the gang? He quickly glanced around, checking everywhere but got no glimpse of the blonde monster. The olive green turtle wasn't too fond of the odds, but without Hun, these gangsters weren't much of a threat. With his bo staff and the piles of junk at his back, this would be easy enough. It wasn't like he was facing the Foot. They were much more skilled and more of a threat than these rag-tag gangsters. He could take them.

"You didn't answer my question." Mikey pointed out, irritated. "When you're lecturing us, it usually takes a tornado, or a hurricane, or an angry Raph to make you stop." Don rolled his eyes and imagined whacking him over the head to appease himself. He almost never did that.

"There's a bunch of Purple Dragons out here." He said placatingly, picturing the panicky images that were probably running though his brother's head.

"Nothing I can't handle." The gang snickered as one, when Don turned back to them.

"Oh, so you don't believe me, huh?" He said, grinning fiercely. One of them laughed racuously. He was tall, had a crew cut, and a large army jacket that was several sizes too big.

"Yer one lil' mutant against all've us. Whaddaya think ya can do 'ginst us Purple Dragons?!" He demanded, snorting like a pig. The others laughed too, all fifteen of the stupid gangsters. Don only grinned bigger.

"I think I can kick your butt. And maybe fix your buck teeth." He added the last part, peering at the rather monstrous molars. It took a moment for the guy to figure out he was being insulted and then, with a roar of rage, he ran straight at Donatello. The turtle sighed inwardly. This wasn't even going to be a challenge. He waited patiently for the man to get close enough and then whacked him in the side with the staff. As the gangster fell, he turned slightly and cracked him in the knees, sending him to the ground with a wail of pain.

Two came at him next, a short man with a chainsaw and a woman with two knives. Donatello noticed that the two were more at ease with their weapons than the others and he readied himself. The woman came first, feinting with one knife and coming up below with the other. Don let the feint fly on by his shoulder and hit her on the wrist, causing her to yelp and let go of her knife. He spun a speedy side kick and knocked her away. The man with the chainsaw came next, yelling like a madman. Don shook his head as he tripped the tattooed Dragon and hit him in the back with the butt of the staff. He was pretty sure the goon would stay down after that.

Five more came at him and he leapt into a wild dance of green and flashing purple, swinging and flying. Purple Dragons went flying as Don fought, throwing them away like pieces of trash. It was so easy; it almost made him wish Raph and Leo were there to properly put the Dragons through their paces. But he had to stay in front of Mikey's pile so that none of the gangsters disturbed the delicately balanced truck. There was always the fear of hearing it suddenly collapse that nagged him in the back of his mind, causing him to be jumpy. He nearly kicked one man all the way to the fence and winced when he heard the crash. But, more than anything, he was desperate to end the fight so that he could get back to helping Mikey. There was a lot of weight on his back, and even though his shell would hold through, it would still strain him. And the continued bleeding could cause him to faint from blood loss and cause the truck and all the trash on top of it to collapse on him.

Donatello threw a last punch and sweeping blow with his bo staff and the last Purple Dragon fell. He wiped the sweat of his brow and took the three steps that brought him up to the truck's pile.

"Mikey?" He asked.

"Uh-huh?" Came the intelligent answer. He sighed in relief.

"O-kay, the Dragons are defeated, so I'm going to work on getting you out. Just stay still, whatever you do. In fact, don't do anything!" There was a pause as he took a step back and surveyed the situation and realized Mikey was panting. A frown clouded his face. _Why on earth is he panting? It isn't that hot.. Wait!_

"Mikey, are you o-kay?" There was a nervous pause and then,

"Y-yeah.." Don glared in the general direction of his brother. As if he could feel the heat of the glare, Mikey said, "O-kay, o-kay, my leg hurts a lot. It burns and my back hurts too. That truck is heavy.." He muttered the last part. Don bit his lip. He needed to get Mikey out of there as soon as possible, but how could he do that without hurting Mikey?

Then,

"Why don't you call Leo and Raph? You know, just in case something else happens." Mikey suggested, sounding as if he didn't know he was answering his brother's mental dilemma. Don blinked when he realized the idea hadn't even occurred to him to call for reinforcements. He had been so worried and busy hyperventilating about Mikey's condition, he hadn't even had time to think about his other brothers. He hit his head with his hand. _Well, that's embarrassing._

"I think I'll do that." He told the other turtle, imagining the big grin that would be stretching over his little brother's face right about now. Before Mikey could come up with something else to embarrass him, he pulled out his shell cell and dialed.

"Leonardo."

"Leo!" Don hadn't even realized how panicked he sounded and felt annoyed. It was probably talking to his oldest brother, who was always in control that made the relief rush through him, comforting him. In one word, Leo translated all of his confidence, quiet authority, and reassuring self-control to the listener. Don thought it was the best thing he'd heard all day.

"Don? What's wrong? Are you alright?" Don sighed and took a deep breath, steadying his frayed nerves.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's Mikey who's in trouble. We're in the junkyard and a bomb went off or something. Mikey got most of it. He was buried by rubble and-" Don paused, thinking he heard something. He glanced around. The Purple Dragons were stirring now, or the ones that could still move. He watched them warily, hearing Raph's irritated

"What's going on?" In the background. Leo's voice came back on, asking sharply,

"Don? Donatello, is Mikey all right?" Don kept a sharp eye on the groaning gangsters as he quickly finished his narrative, ignoring Raph's louder demands.

"Uh, yeah, he is at the moment. But he's under a truck and a bunch of junk that's held up by his shell. If he moves too much, he'll knock it loose and it'll crush him." Don heard Leo's sharp intake of breath. "His leg's bleeding too. You guys need to get over here." Mikey's voice sounded, weaker than before, Don noticed with a pang.

"Don't forget the Purple Dragons." Don quickly informed his oldest brother about the gang as well. Leonardo was as surprised as Don had been to hear about the Purple Dragons.

"Do you think they set this up?" He asked curiously. Donatello shrugged, keeping a weather eye on the gangsters, none of which looked too eager to move.

"Maybe, but we won't know for sure until you guys get here and I can concentrate on getting Mikey out safely." Don could practically hear Leo nodding over the phone.

"We're getting in the ShellMobile right now. Hold on." And he clicked off. Don put the shell cell away and stood guard, waiting patiently for his brothers to get there. Mikey continued to breath hard and, after a little while of listening to the tortured panting, Donatello turned around and, using his bo staff, began to knock off some of the bricks piled on top of the truck. He was finally starting to make some headway when a club slammed into his shoulder.

"Arrghh!" He fell to his knees, clamping his hand on the throbbing limb.

"Don?!" He heard Mikey's voice sound in alarm and forced himself to move, dodging another blow from the enormous weapon. Gritting his teeth, he fell onto one arm and swung his legs, sweeping the man's legs out from under him. Two other Purple Dragons were on their feet and alert now, coming at him with crude knives. Ignoring the pain that burned in his shoulder, Don grabbed his bo staff and came to his feet. He ran at them, determined to keep them away from Mikey's pile.

"Donnie?!" Mikey yelled again, and Don quickly replied as he thwacked one of the goons with his bo staff and then knocked another away,

"I'm fine, don't worry about me, o-kay? Just stay still!" For a moment there was no reply and Don felt like his heart might stop. And then,

"Does it have to be about me? Are you sure you're o-kay?" Don sighed. _Too bad he can practically read my mind without even seeing me._

"Yes, it does. You're the one stuck under a truck and a pile of bricks." He whirled and sent a flying side kick that hurled one of the Dragons away. His shoulder throbbed like it had its own heartbeat, making the purple masked turtle clench his fists around the bo staff. _Concentrate on the task at hand. Relax._

"You're not answering my question!" Michelangelo's impatience was practically seeping through the trash to Don's ears as he slammed two more gangsters into the pile next to him. He rolled his eyes and hit another one in the stomach, dropping the unfortunate gangster.

"Do you know how immature you sound?" He wanted to know, biting his lip to keep any sound from escaping when a stray blow managed to hit his shoulder. He snapped his leg out and the attacker went a good six feet before dropping lifelessly into the dust. He turned slightly, twirling his staff and peering through the rising dust toward the road. _Where are you guys?_

"Who're you talking to?" One of the Dragons demanded, swinging haplessly at the nimble turtle who easily avoided the crazed blows.

"A pile of garbage." He replied, just as Mikey gave himself away by saying, sarcastically,

"The turtle detective next door." All of the gangsters stopped and stared at the apparently vocal pile of bricks. Even though Mikey had just put himself into incredible danger, Donatello couldn't help but snort and snicker at the expressions on their faces. Then, one of the more intelligent Dragons put two and two together and, surprise, surprise, got four.

"One of the other turtles's in there!" He declared.

"Congradulations." Don muttered, wanting to hit his head on the nearest tree. _How much brains does this take?_ _I've been protecting this pile for the last fifteen minutes, as well as talking to it, and worrying over its well-being, and it took them this long to figure out that my brother's inside? Is this all they've got to throw at us?_ Even the Foot guards had a higher IQ than these brainiacs.

"Are they just now figuring this out? What am I, invisible?" The indignant prankster turtle demanded, irritated. He had been dragged out of bed at four in the morning, trekked around a frickin' junkyard for almost two hours, then been almost blown up, buried by bricks and stuck under a _truck_ for the love of the Silver Sentry, and these frickin' morons didn't even realize there was more than one turtle on the field.

"Not exactly my best day ever." He muttered. At least he wasn't laying facedown or this whole situation would really suck. His left cheek was pressed into the ground and he was facing toward Don's voice, one arm tucked under his plastron and the other splayed out in front of him. It wasn't exactly comfortable, but wasn't too bad considering. He wrinkled his nose. The smell could be improved, of course. _Ugh._

"Hey!" Donatello's cry of surprise made him stiffen and crane his neck to try and see through the planks of wood that, of course, had landed in front of his face. For a moment, all the orange masked turtle heard was the crack of wood on metal and then _crack._ His jaw dropped and he all but screamed,

"Donnie!" In terror. That was the sound of a gun going off. Silence met his wail, to his horror. It was all he could do to keep from wriggling about and trying to free himself, remembering Don's warning. _O-kay, this not cool. Not cool! I gotta stay calm, remember what Master Splinter said! Relax! Focus! Focus... On what?_

"Don!" He yelled again and heard the screech of tires. His ears were rewarded with a different sound, that of Raphael enraged and Purple Dragons getting their butts kicked. Leonardo's war cries reached his ears as well, but those ended quickly. The next sound he heard made his heart plummet.

"Don? Don, answer me!" There was dread, horror, and dismay in his oldest brother's voice.

_Oh, shell._ This was not his day!


	3. Planks of Wood

Thank you to all who reviewed! Thanks especially to autumnight, for the constructive critizism. I did stop using dashes on "okay" but putting it in central text was an experiment and I'm still going to carry it out, plus, I rather like it in center. Thank you for your advice! I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Chapter Three

Raphael was not in a good mood. He was, of course, aware that he was rarely in a _good_ mood, unless Mikey had just gotten his tail kicked in some way, or when he was kicking Purple Dragon butt with Casey, or riding his Shell Cycle. But Casey was off somewhere with April, Mikey was trapped under a pile of trash that threatened to collapse and crush him at any moment, and his Shell Cycle was sitting in pieces at home. Thus, he was not in a good mood.

The fact that a bunch of Purple Dragons had decided to mess with his brothers just made it worse. He'd make them pay, after he got Mikey out from under a pile of bricks and gave him a good pop on the head for having the talent of getting in trouble. _Musta inherited it from Leo._ He thought, exasperated. It only figured that his oldest brother and his youngest brother had the unfortunate ability to attract trouble. Don had always been the smartest one and pretty much kept out of trouble, though he wasn't that great at watching his back. The red masked turtle glared at the road that was fast disappearing under his wheels and then glanced at his older brother, Leonardo.

Leo looked cool and quiet as always, to the regular observer, who was used to observing giant turtles. But Raph had more insight to his brothers than he got credit for and he could tell from the way Leo's lips were pressed together tightly and how he kept most of his weight forward, like he'd have to leap up and away at any moment. He didn't want to show it, but he was worried about Mikey. Raphael glanced back at the road and quickly swerved to avoid an eight-wheeler.

"Watch the road, Raph." Leo's voice was quiet, but when Raph glanced at him, he was grimacing at his hands.

"Yeah, yeah, I could drive this road in my sleep." He snapped back. But nevertheless, he kept his eyes on the road. Finally,

"Are you worried about Donnie and Mikey?" Leo laughed dryly.

"Of course I am. I always worry. That's my job." Raphael glared at him, frustrated but

understanding. Leonardo took the world on his shoulders and probably spent most of his time worrying about his siblings. If he had hair, it'd all be gray.

"What, me too? I can take care of myself, you know!" He growled, as he watched for the turning signal that would let him onto the street where the junkyard was. Leonardo made an exasperated sound, watching the road as viligantly as Raphael was.

"I know that, but your temper gets you in trouble." Raph glared out the window, but Leonardo wasn't finished.

"Of course, like Master Splinter said, you're loyal and that makes up for it. Sometimes.. Plus, we all have our faults. You'd be plain irritating if you didn't have a flaw." He was smiling when Raph rolled his eyes.

"This is where Mikey would pop in with some insult about how you're irritating anyway." Leo joked.

"Oh, and you agree, huh?" Raph demanded, but it was with the wry and sarcastic humor that he had his older sibling joked around in. Leo chuckled.

"And if I do? Think you can do something about it?" Raphael nodded, his lips curling up in his fierce expression of eagerness for a fight.

"Hah, I know I can do something about it, O Fearless One!" He waited for a reply about not studying Bushido enough to be better than him, but there was only,

"Here." Leo's eyes were trained on the road and he was leaning forward more than before. Raph swerved so hard that he was sure the screeching tires could have been heard in New Jersey, like Mikey complained that his snoring was. Leo gripped the sides of his chair to steady himself but never looked away from the Purple Dragon infested junkyard. Both of the turtles stared into the chaos, both thinking in the same emotion,

_My brothers are in there somewhere._ Instead of bothering to slow down and park, Raph hit the gas pedal and rammed into the fence. The weak metal links were ripped apart and the truck busted through without a scratch. Leo couldn't help but grin as Raph turned the wheel hard and they swerved, tires screeching, to parallel a trash pile. Junk flew everywhere as the truck fell back unto all four wheels.

"Nice parallel parking." Leo complimented as he leapt out of the vehicle, Raph right behind him. They got out just in time for Leo to realize with alarm that Don's bo staff was on the ground and a gangster was pulling the trigger to his gun. _Crack._ Raphael snarled in rage, barreling past Leo and hitting the unfortunate Dragon with the force of a bulldozer. Leonardo followed him, focused totally on his fallen brother. Donatello was laying on his side, facing away from him, and the blue banded turtle couldn't tell if he was breathing or not.

A Purple Dragon was suddenly in front of him and Leo cut him down without a thought, throwing a swift kick to knock him out of the way. He'd get to Don if there was a thousand Purple Dragons between them. And that gunshot. He gritted his teeth, swinging his katana one after another, sweeping a path of falling men around him. If Don was dead, he'd...

Finally, he got to his brother and knelt, snapping with dismay and fear that was barely contained in his voice,

"Don? Don, answer me!" He grabbed the limp shoulders, about to shake him, but stopped and, remembering his lessons in first aid, put two fingers on Don's neck instead, glancing at the bullet wound and frowning. It didn't look like it had gone very deep into the plastron, which was pretty tough, but it had pierced the skin. Leo bit his lip and then breathed out with a whoosh in relief when he felt the steady pump of blood under his fingers. He was no doctor or scientist, but, as far as he could tell, the bullet hadn't gone far enough to do much damage to anything vital. But, he frowned as he noted that blood was seeping as steadily as Don's heartbeat from the wound and that was a big warning sign.

His brow furrowed when he saw the big bruise forming on Don's shoulder. _Shell, he must've gotten hit with something huge. _He started to look around, hoping for a place to put Don and then try to find Mikey when a very concerned and loud voice demanded from right next to him,

"DONNIE! ARE YOU OKAY?" Leo nearly jumped five feet in the air when Mikey yelled that. His katana swung out and he jerked them to a halt, remembering Don's warning about the pile of bricks and the truck.

"Mikey? Are you all right?" He demanded, concern for his youngest brother rushing out as he picked Don up, as carefully as possible and trying not to let the effort it took show on his face, and laid him out of sight from the battling Purple Dragons. Raph was holding his own without a problem; the dark rage on his face alone gave him the advantage.

"To take Raph's line, 'Peachy.' How's Don?" Leo knew Mikey had paid no attention to his question and probably wouldn't until he knew how his brother was.

"Don's fine for now. He won't be fighting though. How are you? What's your position, exactly? Don said was that you were buried under rubble and a truck. Sounds like fun." He grinned at the indignant expression he knew was growing on Mikey's face.

"Yeah, just great, if you're claustriphobic and have a love for lying under giant heavy trucks. Sound like fun to you?" He demanded, sounding not in the least happy about his position.

"Well, uh, I'm laying on my stomach and I'm facing you.." Leo frowned, staring at the junk.

"You can see me? How many fingers am I holding up?"

"Twelve." Mikey said sarcastically. "No, I can't see you, but I'm facing your voice."

"Are you hurt?" Leo asked. Raphael joined him, jabbing a thumb back at the motionless Purple Dragons.

"They ain't stirrin' for awhile. Mikey, you 'kay?" Mikey rolled his eyes and wished his brothers could see him. At least Raph couldn't slap him on the head.

"Hey, Raph. Yes, I'm fine. Oh, my leg's bleeding I think, 'cuz something warm and wet is trickling toward my head, which isn't creepy at all, and I've got this huge bruise on my head and every time I move it, even just a little, I get all dizzy and woozy which is great because most of my vision is blocked by my arm which is bleeding too, and my back's having a hay day, cuz, you know, it's not every day you have a truck fall on you, right? Yep, doing good." He knew he was ranting and he needed to stop, but Mikey couldn't help it.

He'd never admit it, but the orange-clad turtle was scared. Terrified, actually. He'd never admit it, but he was hating being stuck under a truck, if anyone found that weird and he doubted it. There was a pause and then,

"We'll get you out of there, Mikey." Raph told him. "I promise." His voice was so deep, so sure, that Mikey knew that if Leo didn't find a way to save him then Raph would. He smiled.

"I know."

"Just wait and don't move." Leo stepped back and looked the pile over. Raph strode over to where Leo had deposited Don and clenched his fists.

"He'll be a'right?" His question directed at Leo, who sheathed his katana, ignoring the Purple Dragons who were fleeing now that the odds were somewhat evened out. The blue banded turtle nodded, saying,

"I think so. The bullet didn't get too far, but it's bleeding pretty bad, so can you find something to wrap it with?" Raph's nostrils flared, as he turned and went through the trash, asking with a curled lip,

"Is any of this okay to use on 'im? It's trash in a junkyard." He pointed out.

"Thank you, Captain Obvious! Tell us something we don't know." Mikey was happy, however, with the opportunity to insult and tease his brother out of slapping rage. Raph looked up at the sky and growled.

"Mikey, if-"

"Yeah, yeah, empty threats, Raph." His fingers curled into fists as he glared in his brother's direction.

"Man, I would-"

"You would what? Chase me around?"

"Hah! As if you would have any chance of escaping me!" Raphael laughed at the possibility.

"Hey, the Turtle Titan doesn't take insults from lowly-"

"Guys! I'm trying to think here!" Leo glared at the both of them, or rather, at a sulking Raph and a pile of bricks. "I need Don's brain right now. How do I get you out without making it all fall?"

"Don was knocking the bricks off the top. Don't take any out from the middle or bottom. It might collapse." Mikey said helpfully. The two brothers gave each other exasperated glances, as Raph said with a grin,

"Thank you, Captain Obvious!" Mikey grumbled and Leonardo wanted to headslap them both.

"Raph, keep looking for bandages and do it quickly." He unsheathed his katana and began carefully lifting and moving bricks from on top of the pile. The pile was about two feet taller than he was, which made it difficult, but he was glad it wasn't as tall as the other piles, which were even higher. That would have been bad.

_No, focus on the task at hand. Concentrate. One brick at a time._ He narrowed his eyes and after a small pile of bricks that nearly reached his knees had collected beside him, he asked,

"Is that any better Mikey?"

"Yeah..." His voice was quiet and a little dreamy. Leo stared at the junk pile, concerned.

"Mikey? You okay, bro?" There was a pause, making his stomach tighten, before,

"Uh-huh.." He frowned.

"Doesn't sound like it. Let me know if anything goes wrong in there." Mikey nodded woozily and then glared at a piece of wood.

"I'm nodding, Leo." He said, examining that plank of wood. It had several strange-looking knots in it and names scratched in it. Probably two star-crossed highschool lovers or something. Not that he was interested, but he didn't have anything better to do, right? Leo was busy, Raph was off somewhere, and Don was unconscious. He frowned, still staring at the plank of wood.

Leo couldn't take the silence anymore. It wasn't that he didn't mind it, but Mikey never shut up. He was never this quiet. Never.

"What's on your mind, Mikey?" He asked, just wanting to make Mikey talk. The orange banded turtle blinked, trying to concentrate on the question.

"Um.... Wood." Leo tried not to laugh as he lifted another brick and transferred it slowly to the pile.

"Wood, huh?"

"Yeah... Some highschooler sweethearts signed it.. They're probably at each other's throats now." He tilted his head slightly and flinched. _Yep, no moving the head._

"Oh, so now you're the romance expert, huh? Been watching Master Splinter's soap operas?" Mikey snorted, picturing the corny soaps his sensei and father loved.

"Yeah, right! Those melodramatic little shows? Hah! My comics are much better than them. The Justice Leagure rules." He said it with conviction and smiled at the planks. That was something he could think about. Being a superhero had been fun and the Turtle Titan had been an awesome alias. Leo couldn't help but laugh at that.

"I dunno, Mikey, I like my books and they're probably better than your comics." Mikey shifted slightly, now glaring at the piece of wood.

"What-"

"Guys, we've got problems." Raph's voice was sharp. Leo spun around, sliding the brick he had been holding onto the pile. Joined by the muscular red-banded turtle, he stared at the newcomer.

"Whoa.." He said, startled. "Didn't see that coming." In front of them stood a six foot man with strange missile-launchers attached to his left arm, and his right arm had been replaced by a sword that attached at his elbow. He was done up in leather armor that looked tough. It was done in scales that allowed him to move easily, sliding over his shoulders and upper arms, as well as across his chest and down the sides of his legs, protecting the tendons there.

Leo could tell just by looking at this guy that he would be tough to beat.


	4. Planet of the Apes

My thanks to all who reviewed! Yal are awesome! I hope this chapter is worth the wait! Please, please review and tell me what you think might happen, what your favorite part was, whatever, I just want to hear from you guys. Thanks for your time!

Chapter Four

"Uh..." All Raphael could do was stare in surprise at the new warrior. "He looks like something out of an old Japanese movie, with his armor." Raph rolled his eyes at his comment, thinking of how he sounded like Mikey, who always made random observations. Leo nodded, crouching and easing one of his katana out of its sheath. Normally, he would be a little more willing to talk this out, but he needed this strange warrior to leave so that they could free Mikey and help Don.

"Did you bandage Don?" Leo demanded, not looking away from something he could only percieve as a threat. Raph nodded, saying darkly,

"I found some strips of cloth that made f' good bandages." The sound of him removing his sais from his belt sounded reassuring in Leo's ears. The eldest turtle addressed the man coldly,

"Listen, we don't have time for this. Leave, now and we'll let you go. Attempt to fight us and, I assure you, you will regret it." Raph had heard his brother when he was angry before, but his voice was pure ice and practically screamed the rage that he contained so well. A small smile darted across the dark green turtle. This man would pay for sure if he didn't his tail out of there soon.

The man watched them, not looking concerned in the least. Leo brought his katana out with a flash and snarled,

"I said leave! Now!" The man did not flinch, but instead lifted one arm. Raph growled, flipping his sai to throw it. In a single fluid movement, the man turned and pointed the missile launcher at the garbage pile where Mikey was.

"Don't even _think_ about it, pudge." Raph's voice was low, dark, and menacing. He'd put this man's lights out for just thinking he could get away with blowing Mikey up. Leo had sunk even deeper into a crouch, bringing his katana up as he glared at the man. His teeth gritted audibly, but he forced himself to calm down enough to ask acidly,

"What do you want?" Each word was punctuated with his rage. The man regarded them coolly, still not in the least bit concerned about the two furious turtles. He glanced at the pile, where Mikey was staring at the plank of wood in confusion. Who looked like something out of a Japanese movie? What couldn't he think about? Mikey decided that the moment he got out of there, he would hit both Leo and Raph over the head for being stupid enough _not_ to tell him what the shell was going on!

"Guys? What's wrong?" He demanded, straining to see through the cracks. Leo focused on the man, waiting for his answer.

"I want." His voice was slow and thoughtful, like a philosopher's. "I want you dead." Leo stared at him. Raph snarled again.

"Like you could touch 'im!" Leo held up a hand that still clenched his sword. The man transferred his glance from the crouching swordsturtle to the one in red.

"I don't mean him. I mean all of you. Your limited race, consisting of four brothers." Mikey rolled his eyes. _Limited? Is that seriously all he has in the department of insults?_

Leonardo watched the warrior, keeping an expression devoid of emotion on his face, but his mind was going a hundred miles an hour.

"Why do you want to kill us? We've done nothing to hurt you." The man nodded.

"Not me, but my gang. The Purple Dragons have been hampered by your activity for too long, terrestrial abomination. I am here to relieve myself of such parasitic aliens who have caused such a problem."

"Doesn't sound much like a gangsta, does 'e? More like a scientist." Raph commented, sending a sideways glance toward where Donatello lied. "An' where's Hun?" He sent the last question at the man like a projectile.

"Huge, muscular, and blonde?" The warrior asked, perfectly at ease, as if they were discussing the weather. The two nodded warily.

"Never heard of the man." Raph snorted and Leo narrowed his eyes.

"Think you're smart, huh?" Raphael's voice was nothing short of derisive. The warrior shrugged, the missile launcher moving a rather large amount. Raph shifted, getting the message. Leo tried a different tactic.

"Who are you?" The man considered and then answered slowly,

"I am the man who will kill you." Raph growled.

"We got dat part, thanks, buddy. What's yer name?" His voice was peaking with its impatience and Leo sent a look that told him to zip it or kick it. Raph's eyes narrowed, but he got the point. The man thought some more.

"Zarke." He answered. "New leader of the Purple Dragons."

"Zarke?" Mikey couldn't help it. He snickered and then burst into hysterical laughter. "Hahahahahahahahahahahaaa! That's the best thing I've heard all day! Zarke, hahahahahaa! Sounds like something out of Planet of the Apes! Hehehehehehehehahahaha!" Leo could have smacked him.

"Did you plant the bomb?" Leonardo asked quickly, trying to divert Zarke's attention. He didn't even know if it had been a bomb, but he was pretty sure that it was, simply because junkyards don't just blow up on accident. And from what Don had said, it had been set off by Mikey, which meant whoever planted it was expecting someone to be there. And this man was trying to kill them, so Leo put two and two together, and hoped for four.

"Yes, that was my explosive. It is surprising that Michelangelo survived such a forceful attack." All three conscious turtles stiffened and Raph's fingers tightened around his sais.

"How d'ya know Mikey's name?" He demanded fiercely.

"Yeah? How do you know my name? Are you my stalker? Eew, that's kinda gross." Raph was seriously struggling with the temptation of going over and kicking the pile of trash, just to make his moronic brother shut up. Leo sighed. Mikey going into shock was _not_ helping.

Raph glared at Zarke and then glanced down, seeing from the way that Leo's muscles were cording and flexing in his legs that the turtle was getting ready to attack. Alarm flared inside the red clad turtle, who glanced at the missile launcher, still pointed precariously in Mikey's direction. _What's he plannin?_ From the front, there was no difference in the eldest brother. He still watched Zarke with eyes like a hawk, but his body posture gave nothing away. Only because Raphael knew what to look for did he know the other turtle was getting ready for action. Zarke smiled, a slow action that looked almost painful on his emotionless face.

"I did some ah, research, if you will. You'd be surprised what I can do with a gang at my fingertips. There are many ways of convincing people to give up information, even about things they are sure they imagined." The smile slipped away, leaving him more threatening than ever. Raphael was confused, but he saw the way Leo straightened that he knew what the gangster was talking about. "Angel's brother! What did you do, Zarke?" If Leo hadn't sounded menacing yet, he did now and it was scary. Mikey's eyes went wide in alarm. _Angel! Otto didn't know all that much about us, except that we helped rescue him, so the only way he could have found out stuff about us is through Angel!_

"Is she okay?" He demanded, his voice going high in stress. Raphael snarled again, longing more than ever to take this man on. If he had hurt Angel-

"Hmmm, so you are attached to your human friends? That girl's brother was quite happy to tell us all about you when we threatened to break into her house and.... End things." Leo ground his teeth in frustration.

"How'd he know about us?" The turtle demanded furiously, his eyes near slits in his mask. The man chuckled, a hoarse, rusty sound that grated in their ears.

"He didn't. I told him he'd call his sister and ask her about them. If she wanted to know why, then he was to tell her that he had to learn or we'd kill him. While he was talking, I set up the bomb, sent some troops to the junkyard, watched them fight your brother, Donatello."

Leonardo narrowed his eyes. This guy was lethal; he was willing to do anything to kill them. Their hands were tied as long as he kept that missile launcher aimed at Mikey. But that was the whole point. If it wasn't aimed at Mikey, then they were free to kick shell. But this man knew that and he also knew they'd do anything to keep their brother safe. He was smart, obviously, but there were still many questions to be answered. How'd he know they were going out there? How did he know exactly when they would be there? How did he know Angel's relationship with them? Where on Earth did he get bombs like that? Why was he so determined to kill them, when rewards for them from the Shredder were circulating like wildfire? If he could get paid for turning them in, why work so hard to kill them?

If Leo could just keep him talking, then he could think of a plan.

"How did you know we would be there?" The man shook his head deliberately, as if in slow motion.

"That is not for your ears, turtle freak." Leo could practically feel Raphael's impatience behind him and wondered why Zarke didn't just kill them or order them to drop their weapons. Why was he just talking to them like this? Did he think they would just stand there all day? Leo ground his teeth. _Yes, he does. And we will stand here all day if it keeps Mikey safe. _

"Leo..." Raph growled, frustrated and itching for a fight. Leo glanced back at him, ordering quietly,

"Stand down, Raph. We don't want him firing that launcher. We need to find out why he's here." He turned back to the man, who startled him by speaking first,

"Where is the fourth turtle? Donatello, the olive green turtle with a purple mask?" He wanted to know.

"We know what our own brother looks like, bonehead." Raph snapped acidly, but Leo rapidly signed for him to stand down. He had finally found an advantage, a way to get out of this situation.

"He went back to the lair to get our Master and friends." Leo lied instantly, startling Raph at how truthful and honest it sounded. The blue clad turtle watched as the man thought that over, watching as his eyebrows drew together and his lips pinched. _He's thinking about the odds. He'll be out-numbered and surrounded._ The turtle thought with satisfaction. _Even if he keeps us at bay with the missile launcher, he knows there will be no way for him to keep all of us away. Not when we can circle and attack. _

"Reinforcements? Think they'll risk your brother's life?" The man demanded. Mikey had clapped his hand over his mouth to keep from laughing. He had heard the lie in his brother's voice if no one else had, though, for a second, he had nearly corrected his brother, but realized that would be giving away his unconscious and wounded brother's hiding place. But when Zarke said that last sentence, he actually screamed his girly scream, making Leo groan in spite of the situation. Zarke's squinty eye's narrowed dangerously.

"Since it seems to mean so little to you, why don't I end your misery?" And he fired the missile launcher three times.

"No!" Raph's agonized yell galvanized Leo into action. He flung himself in front of the missile, knocking one away with his katana. The clanging sound it made told Leo he'd better hope the metal was strong, because these missiles could snap the blades in half. Even as he knocked the second one into another pile, he saw Raph running at Zarke, face dark with rage and sais spinning furiously. Leo forced him to focus on the last missile. Everything went into slow motion.

He brought his katana together and then sliced in an 'X' splitting the missile into four part. It fell to his feet and he took off, running after the battling Zarke and Raph.

"Guys? Guuuuuuuuuuys? What's going on?" Mikey waited for a response. "Guuuuuys?! Guys? Leo? Raph? Where'd yal go?"

"Kinda busy, Mikey!" Leo's reply made the panicking turtle relax slightly. It would be his nightmare pure and simple if they left him. Or even worse, died at Zarke's hands.


	5. Following the Honor Code

~~Again, my thanks go to all who have reviewed! I am sure you guys make the world go 'round! Anyway, I've been doing a little research and the vast amounts of different Japanese weapons are just amazing! (or maybe that's just me) But I had so much fun learning about them that I think I'll have to incorporate them into my stories. It's just as well, that the turtles have a "Japanese" origin, or this wouldn't be as much fun! I really hope you enjoy this chapter, because I think it's my favorite so far. Mikey's so much fun to write and I get so much fun out of putting him through this that it's almost sinful. I've also noticed that Leonardo and Raphael are always working together to fight, whenever they aren't looking out for a younger sibling, so I tried to shed a little light on how well I've found that they incorporate their fighting styles to defeat an opponent. So, I hope you enjoy!

Chapter Five

Mikey was just plain annoyed with how this day was turning out. He was stuck under some truck and his brothers got to do all the fighting for him. _Stupid truck._ He thought fiercely, turning slightly to glare at the windshield, which was all he could see of it. The bumper was pressing into his shell and the moment he shifted, it groaned and creaked. Mikey didn't even bother to stifle a yelp, he was too busy concentrating on not moving.

And that was something he wasn't very good at. Trying to distract himself from the inevitable, he patted out a beat from one of his favorite disco songs on the ground with his fingers, humming, albeit a little shakily, along with the tapping. He wanted to _move_ so bad! His left leg had fallen asleep about ten minutes ago and was quite painful, as well as the other leg that was still oozing blood. _Well, it's slowed down, right? That's good, right?_ He hoped that meant it was starting to heal or something. Mikey really wanted Donnie there with him, taking care of his leg. He wanted Raph there, to get the stupid truck off of him! And he wanted Leo there, to just tell him everything was going to be fine.

And he really, really wanted his head to stop aching.

Mikey narrowed his eyes and struggled to peer out of the boards, trying to see the fight that was raging on outside. He could hear the _shiing_ of blade against blade and the occasional _smack_ of flesh hitting flesh. Mikey narrowed his eyes and inched forward, wincing when the truck shifted again, creaking ominously. At least now, he could partly see the fight. Raph was going all out, sometimes not even using his sais, just his fists. But to Mikey's utter astonishment, Raphael wasn't even making a dent in the man's defenses.

Zarke, who had talked, thought, and insulted so slowly, moved like a snake. He dodged each blow, looking profoundly bored, and parried each and every attack thrown at him. He whirled and threw a high side kick that knocked Raph some seven feet back and into the fence. Mikey winced, hearing the impact.

Leo took over, coming at the man with both katana. His swords flashed as he swung, feinted, and stabbed. The man's swordarm came down, flickering around Leo's feint, blocked his stab, and with a perculiar twist, jerked the sword from Leo's grasp and it hurled toward the fallen Raph. Mikey couldn't see his red-clad brother, who was to his left, but even so, he cried out in warning, seeing the horrified look on Leo's face as he flipped away from Zarke's blade,

"Raph! Look out!" There was a thud and the shriek of metal slicing through metal, which was quite reassuring to Mikey. It was the beautiful sound of Leo's sword cutting into the metal links of the fence and not Raph's thick head. Leo's war cry echoed in the junkyard as he attacked Zarke and the two moved out of Mikey's line of vision. He grumbled and then panicking,

"Raphie, you okay?" There was a rustling sound and then,

"Yeah, I'm fine, Mikey, stop worryin'." His voice was a little hoarse, but he sounded fine and Mikey relaxed slightly.

"You're telling me to stop worrying?! You're the one fighting Yoda in a Halloween costume!" Raphael snorted, getting to his feet.

Then, in his little crack that let him see outside, Zarke and Leo danced back into view. Leo was obviously being pushed to his limit to keep from losing his head or a limb. He was covered in sweat and his plastron heaved with each breath he took. Zarke swung and cut and feinted; he was a blur of scaly brown armor and silver sword. Leo ducked yet another blow to the head and flipped backwards several times to give himself some room.

That gave Raphael the chance he needed, and the red-banded turtle was on his feet and running at Zarke instantly. Leo let him run forward and then joined him in the charge, coming in at a different angle. Zarke let them come, crouched, and then shot into the air. Mikey's jaw dropped.

_Holy shell!_

Raph slid to a halt, drew back, and the hurled both of his sais at the man in mid-air. He blocked both attacks and then came flying down, slashing at Raph's head before the red clad turtle knew what was happening.

"No!" Leo blocked the blade and was kicked away, nearly losing his other katana in the process.

Raph took the opportunity to punch Zarke in the face.

Mikey watched in surprise as blood slid down the man's chin. He looked just as surprised as Raph was at actually being able to land a blow on the guy. It was Leo's warning that saved him from being sawed in half.

"RAPH! Move!" He shot to the side, just missing the slicing blade that darted after him. Raph swooped up one of his sais, whirled around, and caught the blade inbetween the two prongs of his sai, forced to put boths hands on the handle in order to keep from falling over from the extreme force being applied to the sai. Zarke heaved, but in vain, as the blade was good and stuck. _Which_, Mikey thought in nearly hysterical excitement, _meant he was too_! Leo grabbed his other katana and ran at Zarke, his left katana dragging on the ground for two seconds before being slung forward.

At the last moment, Zarke twisted and caught the blow on his protected shoulder. Leo sliced with the other katana as Raph stabbed with his other sai. Zarke ducked Leo's cut and shot off the missile launcher. As far as Mikey could tell, the weapon wasn't aimed at anything in particular, but Raph acted instinctively, knocking it away from himself, and his inattention gave Zarke the chance to free himself and kick Leo away yet again.

Mikey's jaw dropped. He had never known anyone to actually land the same blow on Leo twice without losing a limb or something in the process. He was pretty sure the eldest turtle was kicking himself right now for letting his guard down. Zarke brought his giant fist on Raph's head and the turtle dropped, making Mikey's blood run cold. Then, the huge man turned and strode to the stunned and dazed Leo, who was rubbing his head and trying to get to his feet. Zarke flicked both blades away from the turtle and grabbed him by the shell and pulled back his swordarm.

"You, Leonardo, will die first." Mikey wanted to yell, to say something, but he couldn't do anything. He was frozen in fear. _Leo can't die!_

Raphael had a major headache, but what he heard banished all thoughts of his own discomfort.

_"You, Leonardo, will die first."_ He gritted his teeth and ignored the waves of pain that sparked every time he moved and pushed himself up on one elbow, facing Zarke, who, curse him, had his sword ready to pierce Leo's chest. A savage growl erupted from his throat.

"Yeah, right. Over my dead body." He snapped, grabbing a sai and swearing under his breath at the fresh wave of pain. He flung it with all of his might at Zarke's back, not giving a care that what he was doing was unhonorable and, after thanking him for saving his life, Leo would probably lecture him about it later. The sai whipped toward Zarke, hissing through the air like an arrow, and slammed into the giant man's back. It hit in the chink between the coil over his neck and the length of armor over his back. Raph grinned to himself. _That's what I'm talking about!_

Zarke howled, a very masculine but hard on the ears noise that made Mikey yelp. That did _not_ sound human. Even Raphael winced, or maybe that was just because he had just been bonked on the head by a giant. Mikey squinted at his second eldest brother.

"Raph, you okay? What's today? Do you know who I am? How many brain cells do you think you lost?" He moved an inch to try and see better and hissed when his leg moved. _Ouch.._

"I'm fine, Mikey." Raph muttered, irritated. Even though that freakin' mountain of a man had taken a sai to his neck, he was still standing. When a jerky movement, he dropped Leo, who managed to land on one foot and a knee. Without even hesitating, the turtle grabbed one of his katana and slashed at Zarke's knee. The man leapt backwards, whirling in mid-flight to stab down at Raph. The turtle rolled wildly, just trying to get away. _He's so dang focused on killing us!_

Mikey gulped, wishing more and more that he was out there fighting too. Leo got to his feet, a little unsteadily, and went after Zarke, driving him away from Raph, who was struggling to get up. Mikey had to bite down on the impulse to lash out and try to free himself. He had to do _something_! He couldn't just lie there and let his brothers get their shells kicked! Mikey twisted slowly, trying to ignore the butterflies that burst into fight in his stomach when the truck groaned as he moved, and looked around. There had to be something, had to be- Oh!

Raph rubbed his head and got to his feet, clenching his sai and looking around for Zarke and Leo. They were fighting a good twenty feet away and still moving, Leo continued to drive the man backwards, fighting with the speed of light. His jaw was clenched and eyes narrowed to mere slits in his mask. Leonardo was furious. He swung and then leapt into the air, twisted, and fired off two powerful kicks. Zarke managed to duck the first one, but caught the second one full in the face. He staggered, looking shocked, and then slashed wildly with his sword to give himself some room.

Raph took a step forward and then paused. Leo finally had him on the run. He flipped one of his sais into a throwing position and waited. He would wait until he could get a nice, clear shot and then take this crazy dude out. Like a light.

The blue-clad ninja turtle followed Zarke relentlessly, never giving him a break, never letting up with the slashing, cutting, slicing, stabbing. He would kill this threat to his family if it took everything he had. His swords flashed in the hot sunlight as he twisted and whirled, letting go of one sword to let fly with his fist and just barely missing Zarke's face. The huge man snarled like a lion, dropped to one hand, and did a fast sweeping kick. Leo saw it in time and managed to leap backwards, just avoiding the huge legs that would have broken his, had they made contact. He gritted his teeth and brought his katana down, aiming for the tendons in Zarke's left leg. The man rolled away, and bounded to his feet, like his five hundred pound body was nothing.

Leo went after him, slicing up with one katana and slicing across with the other, both blades so close that dodging wasn't an option, unless Zarke wanted to lose something. The man tried to back up more and ran into the fence. Leonardo stood still for a moment, staring down at the man who had tried so hard to kill them. For a moment, he thought about Splinter and what his master and sensei would advise him to do now. Then he pushed that out of his mind. Zarke had threatened his family and had nearly killed Don and Mikey. There was no turning back. He had to destroy this threat to his family.

Zarke stared back with level eyes. His hand was clenched, but his missile launcher hadn't been reloaded and had no shots. His eye narrowed, and, quickly, Leo's sword flashed up and pushed his swordarm into the links of the fence, pinning it. Zarke's lips tightened. Leo pulled back his sword, eyes mere slits in his mask. He hated killing in cold blood, as it went against his sense of honor, but if this man was so intent on killing them, then that left him with no choice.

Raphael watched from some twenty feet away, eyes narrowed as well. He could practically hear the battle going on in his older brother's head. _To kill or not to kill._ The red-banded turtle swore under his breath. _Just hurry up and do it! The longer he takes, the more of a chance this guy will find a way to save himself._ His lip curled, as he gripped his sai. He would have thrown it long before now, but Leo was standing right in front of Zarke's face, which also blocked his stomach and chest. Those were the only vital spots that Raph knew he could hit a chink in the armor and Leo was right in front of them.

Mikey was holding the stake when he realized that the sounds of fighting had died away. He peered out the crack, trying to see what was happening. He could see Raphael, who was holding one sai ready to throw, but from the way his muscles were tense and flexing slowly, as well as the fact that his hand was clenching the weapon's handle hard enough to turn his knuckles white meant something else was going on.

Mikey inched forward and winced as the truck creaked ominously. Pushing his advantage, he turned slightly and tried to see out the crack, toward where Raph had been staring. There was a moment of silence as he looked and then _CRAAAACK._

"Shell!" Mikey heard the truck start to give way under the weight and stress it had been put through, as well as his constant moving. Out of instinct, he quickly covered his head and curled up into a ball, trying to keep his shell up to take the weight of the truck. _Crud, crud! I am such an idiot! And I'm going to die one!_

Raphael whirled around the moment he heard the truck make that sound, and it echoed in his ears as he stared in horror at the pile, where the end of the truck was standing out. Leo had turned around too, staring, frozen, at the pile where he knew his little brother was probably in mortal peril right now. It was probably his sixth sense that saved him. Either that or a small rustling noise that made him aware of movement behind him. He whirled, slashing downwards with his katana-

And the blade was stopped by a small knife-like weapon held by two hands. _Wait, two hands?_ And Leo looked down to stare, shocked, into the face of a young, scarred woman.

~~~ So, did you like it? Please let me know and click on the lovely review button below!


	6. A Turtle's Thoughts

~~Hello there again! Sorry it took a little longer than usual for me to get this chapter up, but I've had one heck of a crazy week, with hardly any room for traumitized turtles! I do hope you enjoy this chapter, as you will see some Leo-vision as well as yet another cliffhanger. My apologies, but I could not resist. Until, this chapter I really didn't know where I was going with this fic, but now I do, and I think you will enjoy the outcome. This has started to evolve into a Leonardo fic, but I promise, I promise, Mikey will come back to dominate! Translations will come at the bottom, in case you have any questions or don't understand Japanese. xD Anyways, enjoy and review! I do not own TMNT, all credit goes to the creators, blah, blah, blah. Flames will be used for roasting marshmellows and non-existent homework!

Inklet101 out.~~

Chapter Six

"What the shell?" Leonardo locked eyes with the girl. He had plenty of concerns about this whole situation, namely, _Who is she? Why is she protecting Zarke?_ And, most importantly,

"Mikey!"

Raphael was already running for the pile, deciding that Leo would be fine fighting a girl five inches shorter than him, armed only with a tanto knife. The trash on the pile was shaking, as if it was going to collapse at any time. Raph had to swallow hard in order to keep instinctive fear out of his voice as he demanded,

"Mikey, you okay?" Everything inside of him was telling him to eliminate the threat, to try and move the trash, try to get the truck off of Mikey. But how could he do that without hurting him? He forced back his panic when his youngest brother didn't respond to his question.

"Mikey?! Mike, talk to me, bro!" The muscular turtle knew, if he had been trying to hide it, that his panic was starting to sound loud and clear in his voice. He reached out as if to touch the pile and then jerked his hand away. Gritting his teeth and promising himself he'd make Zarke pay for this, he snatched up his sai and started to knock away planks of wood, bricks, chunks of plastic, bundles of ripped-up blankets, and old shoe boxes. Anything to get him closer to Mikey and the problem that could be killing him.

Leo had to force himself to keep his gaze on the problem on hand, mainly the girl who had taken the blow for Zarke. He gritted his teeth, ignoring the fact that she was probably thirteen, from her height, or lack of, and the childish curves and smooth skin of her pale face. But, no matter what her age, she held the tanto blade with tight, steady hands and the eyes that stared right back at him were a bright, fierce blue.

He knew exactly what would happen if he didn't get a grip. There was no way he could kill this girl; she looked so innocent and, and _little_, how could he be expected to eliminate her as he should Zarke? He stared at her, automatically noting her strengths and weaknesses. She had one leg back and a knee bent, in order to take his full weight in case he pressed down, which would have been the obvious reaction to someone obviously smaller and weaker than him. Either this girl had been well trained to use her weaknesses or she was just plain smart. Neither options were very good for him. Both hands were wrapped around the opposite ends of her blade and from the callouses on her hands, she had used this blade many a time before. The clothes she wore were reminiscent of Japan and her expression reminded him of a picture of child soldiers he had seen on the news. She had a distinct lack of any expression other than quiet determination, her body posture told him she wasn't afraid, and she probably only saw him as her enemy and nothing else.

_Shell._ This all added up to the fact: she had been well trained as a warrior and could fight like one. He could tell that from just looking at her.

Zarke chuckled behind them. Leo's eyes darted to the man, making his first mistake. The girl saw his short lack of attention, shoved his blade back, and performed an extremely high and perfect kick aimed at his plastron. Leo knocked her foot away with his blade and slashed at Zarke, figuring his shove should have gotten her out of the way.

But, once again, she took the blow for Zarke, shoving his blade with hers, so that the edge slammed into the ground. The man laughed, and said,

"Go on, Kameko. Show this mutant who can really handle a blade." The girl nodded quietly; silent as the grave. Leo tried not to show his surprise. _Kameko? Really?_

Meanwhile, Raph was starting to make some headway. He had two growing piles of junk on either side of him and he had almost cleared the area around the truck away. He could see Mikey, curled on the ground and holding the truck up with his shell. The young turtle was motionless, except for his chest moving occasionally and a puff of dust appeared every time he breathed out. Raph relaxed slightly. Now all that remained was getting this truck off of him. It was balanced precariously, on Mikey's shell and a slowly collapsing pile of cardboard boxes that he had known not to touch. Move them and the truck had only one place to go: down.

He took a step back and viewed the situation. He needed to get Mikey out, but how could he without causing the truck to collapse? He swore, walking around the pile. This was not his forte; he needed Donnie's help! As he paced, Raph nearly stepped on the olive green turtle, who was on his knees and giving him an irritated and slightly confused look through bleary eyes.

"Don!" He quickly knelt, grabbing the other turtle's shoulder to steady him. "You okay, bro?" Donatello nodded, swaying slightly as he stared up at his older brother.

"Where's Mikey?" He wanted to know, his voice slurring slightly. Raph rapidly checked the bullet wound, not sure how to answer and not really eager to. _He's doing great! He's lying unconscious and bleeding under a collapsing truck and I don't know how to get him out!_ Don frowned, glancing down at the bloody streaks running across his plastron, near the bandage.

"Wha' happened?" He asked, trying to remember. He didn't remember much, except getting cracked on the shoulder, a bunch of Purple Dragons, Mikey being under a truck, and- Mikey!

"Omigod, he's under that truck!" Raph nearly jumped out of his shell when his staid, quiet brother shouted, trying to get to his feet.

"Whoa there, Kamikaze! You aren't going anywhere." He said, restraining his panicking younger brother with gentle hands that had been trying with all his might to kill someone just minutes ago. Don struggled for a moment and then gave up, obviously realizing that someone in his state couldn't hope to overpower Raphael's muscular build. His older brother tried to reassure him, lifting him into his arms as carefully as possible and bringing him in front to see Mikey's slumbering form.

"He's fine, for now. But I need to get him out. Got any ideas, brainiac?" The turtle was trying to sound like his normal tough-guy sarcastic self, but under his name-calling, anyone could hear the concern he felt for both of his brothers. _Zarke. Will. Pay._

Don pressed a shaking hand to his wound and winced. It _hurt_, but he didn't want Raph worrying about him. He had a dilemma on his hands; he needed to get Mikey out of there! Even as he thought rapidly, analyzing the problem with his quick mind, the turtle asked,

"Did I get shot or something? Where's Leo? Have you guys figured out what's going on?" Raph smiled from behind his brother, where he was ready to catch Don in case he fainted. The genius was going true to form, eager to get caught up on the situation, even though he always complained about not being able to concentrate on his projects while they were talking. Mikey was usually the victim under those circumstances.

"Yeah, some Purple Dragon idiot shot ya just before we got 'ere. Leo an' I took care of 'im and the others. Fearless Leader's over there," Raph jerked a thumb toward the blue banded turtle's form. "Fighting the evil mastermind 'imself, as well as his little minion. And yeah, Zarke said he planted the bomb and that he wanted t'kill all of us. He doesn't seem to care who 'e kills first, just so long as we're dead." Raphael told him, sparing no details, figuring that would best catch him up to speed. Donatello nodded, in full "geek mode" as Mikey often teased. _He wouldn't mention that now, would 'e._ Thought the older turtle darkly.

"See that stake?" Don said suddenly, startling Raph. He squinted.

"Yeah....?" He ended the word like a question. Don nodded.

"We need to use that and whatever else we can find to brace this truck up, without upsetting it. Then, when it's steady, we'll get Mikey out." Raphael ignored the little voice that told him he should have thought about that before.

"You won't be doing anything, Donnie." Raph told him firmly. Ignoring him, Don tried to step forward and bent slightly, clutching at his side, and making a small sound of pain. Raph quickly grabbed him to steady him, worry knitting his brow.

"You 'kay?" He demanded. Don nodded and Raph moved so that he was facing him. "You aren't doing any lifting or bracing with that wound." He told him and helped him limp over to a wooden crate, where Donatello sat down, without making a fuss this time.

Raphael grabbed some wooden boards and got to work, easing them under the truck and then wedging them in cracks between pipes and the engine. It took a fairly long time and Raph struggled not to get frustrated. He did it for Mikey's life, so he could hold his temper long enough. He just hoped Leo might actually lose his temper and just get it over with.

Leonardo stared down at his small opponent and felt sick. Fighting her felt as wrong as it would to fight Angel. She was so small, so young, but both were very determined and fierce. He admired the strength he saw inside of her, this Kameko.

But he didn't want to fight her.

"Listen, I don't want to fight you. Please, let me handle Zarke. I promise no one will hurt you." He said as placatingly as possible. Kameko's eyes narrowed as she stared up at him. Then, she bared her teeth like a dog, baleful and angry.

"You destroyed us. And now, my master has given me the chance to destroy you!" Her words ended in a cry and she lunged, point black at his chest. Leo slid his katana down her blade and twisted it so that the blade flew harmlessly past his shoulder. He brought the other blade down under the lower part of her blade and shoved up, pushing with his other katana as well. Her tanto flipped out of her hands and flew away. She jerked back and clenched her hands into fists.

Leo gritted his teeth and sheathed his swords.

"I won't fight you." He told her. Her face flushed with anger and she backed away slightly, then grabbed a plank of wood and pointed it at him.

"You are the cause of our suffering. I will avenge my family!" Leo hated how much she sounded like Karai. She had been blinded by her desire for revenge, but at least, Shredder's death had actually been their fault. Leo had never seen this girl before and had absolutely no idea what she was talking about.

"Who is your family? I've never seen you before; what are you blaming on me?" He demanded, grabbing the plank of wood as it came down and wrenching it out of her hands again. Kameko bit down a cry of pain and Leo saw that he had broken two of her fingers when he had yanked the wood away. Concerned, he stepped forward to look and she drew back and tried to punch him with her other hand. Leo ducked and grabbed her fist. She glared into his face, suddenly livid with rage.

"You know what I speak of, turtle! You ruined my life when you took theirs!" Leo tightened his grip and lifted her hand up, forcing her to hold still when she began to struggle. He looked her straight in the face and said, clearly,

"I don't know who you are and I've never killed anyone unless they were threatening my family. Tell me, what devastation are you talking about?" Tears flooded her eyes, that burned with a fierce desire to kill.

"My brothers and sisters were taken away from me! My father was an honorable man and he was recruited by the Foot! It was a great honor, but he was killed in experimentation! The Shredder wanted our entire family to serve him as well, but we were taken away by my master! Zarke-dono rescued me and taught me! He has made me strong!" _Zarke-dono?_ From what Japanese Leonardo had learned from Master Splinter, he realized she was reverently referring to him as "lord". _This is going to be a lot harder than I thought._

Her face twisted as she glared up at him. Leo frowned and glanced down to see her clench her wounded hand and let fly with her fist. He twisted slightly, copying the move Zarke had pulled, so that her fist smacked his shell. Kameko cried out and tears were suddenly flowing like a swollen river down her cheeks. She dropped like a limp doll and he let her fall, watching and trying to ignore the instinct that told him to help her, as she clutched at her broken fingers and cried silently.

Leonardo tried to think. _Recruited by the Foot? Brothers and sisters taken away? And what's Zarke doing "rescuing" a little girl? Is he some kind of predator, or is there something else behind all of this?_ Leo not only hoped that this didn't have anything to do with preying on young girls, but he had a feeling it didn't. While Zarke was obviously evil, he was a person of precise and sharp action. He wouldn't waste his time on little girls. He was a "do it now" kind of guy.

Leo's eyes narrowed. _What if she's supposed to be some kind of weapon? That would make her purpose like letting him make quick escapes? Not a lot of people would cut through a little girl her age.. But then, the people on the streets these days.. No, he had to have been looking to use her against certain enemies like- Us!_ The idea shouldn't have shocked him so much, as it made plenty of sense and Zarke had already expressed his intense dislike for them. But why?

_This can't all just be for clearing the streets of competition. It's too elaborate. He had everything set up; a specialized motion-sensor bomb, Purple Dragons waiting to clean up whatever was left as well as probably contacting him the moment something went wrong, and then, he could come in. And, of course, Kameko, in case he had bitten off too much to chew._ Despite the fact that this proved the man a huge coward, using children to make his escape, Leo couldn't help but admire the tactical genius. Normal people would have never escaped this kind of trap.

Unfortunately for Zarke, four mutant ninja turtles didn't count as "normal people".

But, it still left the question: Why?

"Kameko! Get over here and free me!" Zarke's urgent command jerked him out of his thoughts. The pitiful figure on the ground pushed herself to her feet, cradling her hand. Leo rolled his eyes, and leapt over her head, shocking her.

"Oh, no, you don't." He said sharply, drawing a katana and pointing it at her. He'd never actually use it on her; the whole purpose was to scare her away. It worked, as Kameko backed away in fright. Deciding she was no longer a threat with her broken hand, Leo whirled and held the sword's tip at Zarke's neck.

The hatred in the man's eyes made his blood turn cold, though the turtle let none of his consternation show.

"What do you want?" Zarke demanded, not afraid at all. "Money? Power? A gang? The city? All that I have to offer, but you can be sure I will give none of it to _you_, alien!"

_Well, that answers part of my question._ Leo thought dryly, but still showed no emotion on his face, which was easy enough.

"All I want is for you to answer my questions and then wait for the cops. I've trapped you quite efficiently, don't you think?" He nodded at the metal chains that caught his sword arm. Zarke would have to tear it out of his arm to escape. The man's sneer grew deeper, though Leo saw genuine worry in his squinty eyes.

"What do you want to know?" The man demanded. Leo's eyes narrowed. Zarke seemed to think he could still control the situation. _Let him taste a little fear._ The turtle drew his other katana and made an 'X' shape with them, hovering the blades above the man's head.

"Suddenly, I'm not all that curious. Perhaps I should end it now and stop wasting my time on you." He said darkly, threatening.

Then, cold steel hit his neck.

"I don't think so." Said Kameko.

~~Um, nice readers? Your lovely author means well! Please, please click on the amazing review button! Oh, and translations: a tanto is a Japanese knife, usually without a handle and is wielded with two hands, usually. _Dono_ is a Japanese honorific that refers to the person as "lord" or "master", usually with great respect and reverence. Thank you!

Inklet101 out.~~


	7. The Tortoise Child's Story

~~Hello, lovely fans! I'm sooo sorry for having taken so long! I took a trip to Gatlinburg and in my haste, forgot to update you guys. Please don't hurt me! -hides- JK, I do hope you enjoy this chapter, I took a bit of a break from the crazy action, and this one's mostly backstory. Tell me what you think! I promised to bring Mikey back and here he is! Also, (SPOILER!) this is not the last you will see of our lovely Kameko! She'll come back, but for what, who knows?? xDD I hope this chapter was worth the wait, please enjoy!

Chapter Seven

_Shell._ Leo hissed tightly as the cold, sharp steel of the tanto bit into his neck. Luckily, the blade stopped before it sunk any deeper, just missing the precious life-pumping veins in his neck. The turtle stood rigid, frozen in his pose, with both swords inches away from closing around Zarke's neck and Kameko's sword just edging into his own skin. He could feel the trickle of blood slip down his slippery skin and the small sting when his sweat fell into the cut. Zarke bared his teeth in a startling show of emotion, obviously quite happy to see his enemy finally at an empasse. Leo's eyes narrowed and his teeth gritted.

_Stupid, stupid, stupid! I was so eager to just end this, to just kill Zarke, that I disregarded the weapon he had made to kill us! Everything said I should have kept an eye on her! Even her name says it! Kameko! Tortoise child! I am such an idiot!_ Even though he really didn't want Raph to look up and see him with a knife in his neck, he was sure Raph would agree. _What a stupid mistake!_

He could feel tremors running through the tanto's blade and grimaced, trying to move slightly to keep the shaking from slicing too deep.

"Don't move, reptile!" Kameko snapped, sounding like a child even when she held a knife to his throat and ordered him about. Leonardo clenched his fists and waited patiently. There was a pause and then,

"L-Lift your swords." She ordered, now holding the tanto with two hands in order to still the tremors. Leo decided against shaking his head and settled for a nice,

"No." He could practically feel her tense through the blade.

"I t-told you, lift your swords! I'll-I'll kill you!" He heard her swear in Japanese and knew even she could hear the shaking of her own voice. Leo said calmly,

"No. I can't." There was confusion in her voice, as she asked, confused,

"Can't? W-Why not?"

"Because Zarke tried to kill my brothers. My responsibility as the eldest brother is to keep them safe and to do that, I must kill this man who means harm for them."

Kameko glared fiercely at his shell, where she could see the sheaths for his ninjaken.

Blue. His sword sheaths were wrapped in blue, like his swords. She had liked blue once. It had been her favorite color. _Shou..._ He had loved blue too. _Shou, my soaring brother! I miss you!_ A single tear dripped down her cheek and she didn't answer.

Leonardo shifted his weight slightly, preparing to move. Zarke saw his movement and snapped,

"Kameko!" She looked up and quickly put pressure on the blade. Leo froze, groaning mentally.

"Kill him!" Zarke ordered. Kameko stared at the blue ribbons in consternation, her soul in turmoil. She knew Shou wouldn't want her to kill any more, but she would be weak and insignificant if it hadn't been for Zarke. He had made her strong. She couldn't turn back now; his wish was her command. She gripped the tanto harder and refocused her attention on the reptilian creature's head, trying not to see the horrific image of it rolling on the ground.

_Is that all I'm good for, killing people?_ She wondered sadly, unable to stop her eyes from trailing back down to the blue-wrapped sheaths. She bit her lip and flexed her fingers, struggling to remain on task. _Just do it and then everything will be over with!_

Then, the turtle's strange answer to her question came to mind. _Protect his brothers? His brothers.._ She turned slightly to look at them. The junk pile had suddenly been diminished to a truck and a bunch of wooden slabs that held it up around a crumbled green body. _One of the turtles.. One of his brothers..._ She tried to remember what Zarke had said the one with the orange bandana was named. _Michelangelo._

"M-Michelang-angelo.." She muttered, trying to sound out the unfamiliar word. The turtle she was supposed to kill, Leonardo as she now remembered, twitched, hearing her say his youngest brother's name. Kameko closed her eyes, struggling to think. _Does he care for his little brother like I did mine? Does he deserve to live, to have a brother, if I can't have mine?_ The desire to simply break down and cry was nearly overwhelming, but with surprising strength for a child, she held onto her emotions.

The solution came to her, rather quickly and she blinked, rather startled. Now everything could make sense and Shou would be proud of her.

"Do you love your brother, M-Michelangelo?" His leg muscles looked rock-hard with tension. His voice was cautious and wary, like a police officer trying to talk down a bank robber, and having to answer a strange or personal question. The reply startled her.

"Mikey?" She blinked at the nickname. "Yes. With all of my heart. I would do anything for him and the rest of my family." Kameko bit her lip, arms trembling with effort of holding the tanto knife up. _If he does love his brother so much, then, then, why should he have to die? I lost my brother. I know what that pain is like. Should he feel it, when he works so hard to keep them safe? Should he die?_She didn't stop to think what her master would say. She didn't bother thinking about the fact that she was directly disobeying him. All Kameko cared about now was that Shou would be proud of her, for not killing this alien. He had brothers to take care of and he should have the chance to, unlike her.

Raph stepped back and observed his handiwork with a small grin, that quickly faded as his eyes darted back to the prone body of his brother. _I'll get you out of there, Mikey. I promise._ He glanced over at Donatello and saw that the wounded turtle was trying to get to his feet. Making an exasperated noise, he rushed over and held the turtle down manually, overriding his protests.

"Don't be stupid, Don, you aren't going anywhere. Now, look at the truck and tell me if you think it's stable." Don started to protest and then grunted as Raph promptly slapped his hand across his brother's mouth.

The olive green turtle glared, until Raph let go and he sat up, glancing at the truck and the stablizing wooden planks that held it up.

"Yeah, it looks good. Why, uh, exactly?" Raph let go of his brother and strode back over to the pile, got onto his knees, and grinned at his startled brother.

"I'm goin' in." He announced, ignoring the sudden panic on Don's face, and crawled. It was a little like swimming, using his hands to avoid disturbing any of the wooden planks and using his legs to propell himself through the wreckage.

Don watched his legs slowly disappear with worried eyes. He bit his lip, rubbing his leg absentmindedly and focusing on the truck, willing Raph to come out with Mikey. _And please, let him be okay!_ _Speaking of being okay, where's Leo?_ He glanced around and froze when he saw Leonardo.

Leo was standing in front of some huge man, whose rather disgusting sword-arm was tangled up in the fence, effectively trapping him. But what concerned Don was the girl holding a knife to Leo's throat. And he could see the crimson liquid flowing from where he sat. _Aw, shell! _He groaned. He couldn't do anything for Leo right now, sitting down with a bullet wound and extremely shaky legs. _I'm so useless!_

Then, shocking both Donatello and Leonardo, Kameko drew the tanto knife away from Leo's neck. She held it point down in front of her and then knelt when he turned around, surprised. She dropped the blade and bowed her head, asking,

"I don't want to live anymore. Not here. Not without Shou. Kill me please, Samurai." Leonardo watched her for a moment and then sheathed his swords with a resolute _shiing_, kicking the sword away resolutely. Kameko looked up in surprise as he told her,

"I'm not a Samurai. I'm a ninja and I won't kill you. You're a child; you have a whole life before you. If you want, I can help you along." He leaned down and whispered April's address into her ear, speaking quietly so that Zarke wouldn't hear.

"When you get there, go to the red-haired lady who owns the shop," He continued quietly. "And tell her Leonardo told you to come. She can help you." Kameko nodded, eyes wide. He gestured for her to go and she quickly got to her feet and bowed deeply. He returned the gesture and she paused, looking at him, strangely curious.

"Are you going to kill him?" She asked, peculiar expressions darting across her young face. Leo sighed. There was that question. He nodded and she frowned.

"He saved me, you know. From the men who took my family. And Shou." Her words suddenly stirred up a memory in the back of his mind. Frowning, the turtle asked,

"Can you show me your left shoulder?" Frowning at the strange request, she lifted the jerkin and cloth that covered it and revealed a small brand on her arm. He stared at it.

_"Come on, Raph, it's my turn! Gimme the remote!"_

_"Ya right, this's my night and its gonna stay that way!"_

_"Actually, I think it's my turn."_

_"Leo!"_

_"Give it!" _

_They had tussled for a moment over the remote before someone hit the channel button that made it go to the news channel. All three turtles stopped fighting and stared at the TV as the anchorwoman talked._

_"We have evidence suggesting that a chain of slave traffickers have infiltrated New York City! The FBI is on the case, but we want everyone to keep a sharp look out for this!" An image of a small tattoo-like brand that had been burned into a young boy's skin was shown. _

_"This is the marker of a slave owner. If you see this, please dial the following number to help end slavery!"_

Kameko glanced down at the burn and then back at him confused. The turtle's face was closed. She kept saying how Zarke had saved her from the people who had taken her brothers and sisters. Perhaps he had bought her on the slave market, thus "saving" her from the people who were selling her family. Leo's eyes narrowed.

"Show the lady that mark." He told her. "She might have something to put on it." Kameko nodded and Leo flapped his hands, motioning for her to go. She did, moving as swift and nimble as a mouse, not at all like a tortoise.

Zarke yelled after her, furious, and she flinched, slowing a little, but then picked up the pace and scrambled up the fence. Leonardo smiled, secretly proud of himself for handling the situation so well. Then he turned around and faced Zarke.

"It's over." He said darkly. "I know you weren't involved with destroying her family, but you bought her and treated her like property. She's a human being and deserves much a much better life than what you provided. Her scars will be healed and she will have a new life, free of you. And," He leaned closer, eyes drawing to near slits in a sudden show of anger. "You'll never threaten my family. Ever. Again." He brought out a katana with a loud _shiiing_.

Raphael finally reached Mikey. Huffing a little, the muscular turtle reached with a gentle hand to shake the limp turtle's arm. He bit his lip, feeling fear like never before.

"Come on, Mikey, answer me! Are you all right? Come on, bro!" He crawled a little closer and glared fiercely at the form of his little brother.

"Don! How do ya find a pulse on 'im?" He demanded, raising his voice loud enough for his younger brother to hear.

Don did hear, and so did Leo and Zarke. Leo's head snapped around and he turned slightly, focusing on what had used to be a pile of trash. It was now mostly a truck with a bunch of wooden planks holding it up. He stared at it, looking from Mikey's prone form to Raph's, which was turned slightly to hear what Don was saying.

"Put your finger on his neck, underneath his jaw. Feel for the pump of blood in a vein there." Don's voice had gone high-pitched with worry, a trademark action of Mikey's. Raph reached down, grimacing to himself as he thought of what sarcastic and probably perverted thoughts Mikey would be saying right now and pressed his fingers against the green skin, waiting and praying to whoever was listening for there to be a pulse.

He didn't realize the whole junkyard had gone silent as they all waited for a diagnosis. Even Zarke was watching attentively. Leo's focus was _almost_ completely on his brother, though he was still alert for any kind of reaction from his fallen enemy. He gritted his teeth for what felt like the hundredth time that day. _If Mikey's dead, I'm going to make Zarke pay for every single inch of our despair!_ He stared hard the Raph's shell, thinking, _Can't think that way! I've got to think positive, to help bring him back! Come on, Mikey, you can't leave us!_ He remembered Kameko's question and then his words to Kameko.

_"Yes. With all of my heart. I would do anything for him and the rest of my family."_ Leonardo narrowed his eyes in concentration. _Don't you dare make me a liar, Michelangelo!_

Don's hands clenched on his knees as he wished fervently to himself that he had the strength to stand and help his younger brother. He didn't know what he would do if Mikey was dead. It would be like the light had gone out from their family. To Mikey, life was all a game and laughter made the world go round. Without hearing him laugh as he teased Raph, or complained about Leo, or bugged Don about one of his strange contraptions.. The inventive turtle's eyes were nearly shut, white slits in his purple mask, slits of pain and a desperate desire for some kind of hope. _Let him be alright!_

Raphael's hand was actually trembling slightly as he placed it carefully on Mikey's exposed neck, trying not to touch any of the multiple bruises that lined his body. Then, two things happened that nearly freaked the stoic turtle out. However careful he tried to be, his palm hit one of the bruises. Second, Mikey twitched and groaned, turning over, as if he was asleep.

Raph gaped at his brother, heart pounding like a drum on hyperactive mode. _He's, he's alve!_

"Idiot!" He popped Mikey around the head, grumbling. "Making me worry..." There was another groan and then an eyelid opened slowly. Mikey stared blankly at Raphael and then said, a little drowsily,

"Where am I? Why do you look like your heart almost stopped?" In an almost uncharacteristic pause, he said, concerned, "Everythin' all right?"

Raph sniffed and said roughly,

"Everything's o-kay, Mikey. I'm gonna get you outta here." Mikey frowned, waving a hand in front of his face, as his older brother carefully slipped his hands under the limp legs and neck.

"Where's here?" He wanted to know. Raph huffed and half-lifted, half-pulled his brother, trying to gently ease him toward the entrance. Unfortunately, gentle wasn't easily achieved. A small groan emitted from Mikey's mouth and he quickly tightened his lips to keep any other sounds from escaping, looking a little guilty. Raph just looked pissed. His little brother looked like he had gotten run over by a train; thus, Zarke was going to miss his other arm. Simple. He hoped Leo wasn't pulling one of his "all-honorable moments" out there.

"Listen Mikey, I know this is gonna hurt, but just hang with me here, okay?" The poor turtle nodded weakly and winced as Raph heaved again, trying to do it as smoothly and gently as possible, but Mikey still hissed in pain and Raph's face darkened.

When they finally got out of the truck, Mikey was so incredibly pale for a turtle that Don gulped and was making his way toward his brother as fast as his weak legs could carry him.

"Mikey? Mikey, you okay?" He asked worriedly, kneeling next to the gasping turtle and examining him with a practiced eye. He nodded, muttering,

"Rough ride." When Raph grimaced, he was quick to add,

"I meant under the truck. Should've been on top of it, ya know? Ehehehehehehee.." Donatello rolled his eyes, turning to examine Mikey's wounded leg.

"Only you would make such a lame joke now, of all times." Mikey grinned cheekily and then frowned, glancing around.

"Hey, why isn't Leo fussing over me too?" His comment reminded Don and Raph of their eldest brother's earlier predicament and they all turned to look at him. Leo had one of his katanas pointed downwards at Zarke's chest. _He's going to run him through._ Don realized. He looked away. Raph was just glad it was going to finally be over. Leo was going to finish this for once and for-

"Hey Leo! I'm safe!" The blue-clad turtle immediately swiveled around to stare at Mikey, who was waving. Not willing to leave Zarke, Leo only took a single step toward them, in order to see his so- recently endangered brother. Eyes narrowed in concern, he asked,

"You okay, Mikey?" The quirky turtle rolled his eyes.

"You guys have no originality whatsoever. All I've heard all day is 'you okay, Mikey' and so on. Good thing none of you are actors or anyth- Ow!"

"Shut up, Mikey. I just saved your butt and this is the thanks I get?" Raph folded his arms.

"Let off the head-slapping Raph, he's been through enough abuse today." Leo ordered, sighing in relief. Raph gave him a look which turned to surprise and then pure anger. _That can't be good._ Leo thought as Raph yelled at him,

"Zarke on the loose!"

Leo flipped away from the fence, just getting missing by Zarke's sword. Holding Kameko's tanto and his sword-arm, the man was grinning like a maniac, no longer emotionless.

"He isn't the only one who will be suffering abuse, freak. Once I'm finished with you, I will finish what I started with them." Leo's eyes narrowed into slits and Raph landed in a crouch next to him.

"That's what you think, pudge." He snapped.

The two turtles faced off against Zarke, who, was looking pretty happy with the odds. The turtles weren't. When they had faced him last time, it had taken everything they had to keep him from cleaving their shells. Now they were tired and Zarke had been resting.

_Time to kick some shell, the old fashioned way._ Leo thought, bringing out his other katana. _Time to just kick some shell._


	8. Mikey's Improvising

~~Hello again! This is, duh duhn duhn, the final chapter of In the Junkyard!! It's not the last addition, though, because I'm seriously considering following the whole slavery thing in another story, that will hopefully be longer than this one. I didn't plan on this story being very lengthy, but you can and will expect better and longer stories in the future. I hope you enjoyed!! Review away, please!~~

Chapter Eight

Mikey, being Mikey, was trying to get to his feet the moment he realized his brothers were fighting without him. Don quickly grabbed him and held him down, as much as he could.

"Listen, Mikey, you don't need to be going anywhere right now. You cut your leg, you hit your head pretty hard, and I don't know what else you did to yourself in there. So don't move an inch!" He sounded so unnaturally fierce, that Mikey subsided quickly, though he still protested, being Mikey. Maybe protesting wasn't the word for it. Interrogating was better.

"Is that Zarke? The guy who tried to blow me up?" Don opened his mouth to answer, but Mikey saw his bullet wound and interrupted,

"Dude, you got shot? When? Was that right before Leo and Raph got here? Speaking of which, why'd they take so long? I mean, seriously, we could have gotten our shells waxed bad if they hadn't shown up in time! And how'd Zarke know when exactly to be here to get us? And which pile I was going to climb on? And why in the name of the Silver Sentry is that guy missing an arm? Seriously, this is- Mmph!" Don had grabbed a sock and had stuffed it in his brother's mouth to stop the incessant questions. Then his IQ of over 200 kicked in.

"Yes, yes, yes, about ten minutes ago, yes, I have no idea, not really sure, he probably didn't, and how would I know that?" Scrowling, he started to rip up some rags to put around Mikey's leg. The light green turtle coughed and pulled out the sock.

"Um, could you run that by me again? A little bit slo-" Don snatched the sock and shoved it back in Mikey's mouth. The exasperated turtle pulled it out again, glaring at his brother.

"You know, all you had to do was say-"

"Shut up? Doubt that would have actually worked. Never does anywhere else." Don pointed out, grabbing Mikey's legs, being careful with the wounded one and pulled them out straight so he could use the rags to wrap the cut appendage. Mikey winced as the gifted turtle lifted the bleeding leg into his lap and began to wrap it. His lips pressed together tightly and managed to keep a single sound from emitting. _Which is amazing, because he rarely shows such determination, unless it's trying to beat Raph or I at video games._

The thought reminded him of the time when Mikey had had to prove his right to the Battle Nexus Championship. Some magician had messed with the damage spells and Kluh had nearly beaten the life out of Mikey. But, with sudden fierce determination, Mikey had started to fight back. Don watched his brother, mixed emotions tugging and pulling in his mind. The young turtle very rarely ever applied himself, and yet, was still the most athletic of the four. Leonardo was the undefeated fighting machine, sure, but he worked so hard. The blue-clad turtle worked off his stress by practicing, instead of punching a bag or playing video games. He was easily the most dedicated student of the four turtles, but Mikey achieved a level near to his brother's without even trying.

Part of Don wondered why his younger brother didn't apply himself more. There was always the chance that Mikey would overcome his older brothers with hard work. _But, I don't think he wants that.._ Don thought, a little incredulously. _Being the best out of us doesn't matter to him. He'd rather play around. Life is a game to him, so competition in anything more than virtual reality probably doesn't mean much to him._ Don rubbed his chin, thinking hard.

"Don? Daaaaaydreamer? Mad scientist turtle?! Hey, doctor!" Mikey was looking at him curiously, as Don came out of his contemplative reverie.

"What's wrong?" The orange banded turtle asked, sounding both concerned and annoyed at the same time. Don waved his hand and went back to wrapping Mikey's leg.

"It's nothing. I was thinking." Mikey laid his head back down, muttering.

"You would be thinking about something else while you were treating my war wounds." Don snorted.

"War wounds? This's a scratch, shelferbrains. I got shot, thank you very much. That's a war wound for you." Rolling his eyes, Mikey imitated Don, waving his hand carelessly.

"Bullet wounds, bah. Gashes, now, make very good scars. That's what impresses the ladies!" Don rolled his eyes right back, tightening the bandage and ignoring Mikey's indignant complaint.

"Hah, with this treatment, there won't be enough scar tissue to make a white line. And what ladies are you trying to impress? Anything you're not telling us, Mikey? I've heard it's good for the soul to make confessions on your death bed." He said this all with a straight face. Mikey sat up straight with a panicked expression, making Don laugh and wince as his stomach burned.

"Kidding, kidding, Mikey. Lay down before you mess this up." The turtle laid down again, sulkily. Don looked up to see how his elder brothers were faring against Zarke. They had maintained mostly the same positions so far, throwing insults instead of weapons. Or maybe that was just Raph's temper.

"Listen, fatso, I'm gonna clean your ears out once and f'r all! Shut up or put up!" However lame or strange his comments, Raph had the intimidating part down pat. Zarke had the emotionless mask back on and was obviously, too highly in statis for lowly insults. Instead,

"I'll break you, miserly slime. You've never faced an enemy like me, turtle freak." Raph's lip curled.

"I've faced enemies with ten times the guts of you, wackbag. And my friends make you look like a lil' bunny!" Mikey groaned.

"He isn't talking about Casey, right?" Don shook his head sadly.

"I think so." He replied, making Mikey sigh.

"Casey only makes anyone look like a bunny in the Contest of Really Bad Table Manners!" He pointed out, shaking his head. Don flicked him.

"Stay still! And I don't know, you give him a run for his money there." Mikey glared at his older brother.

"Come on, pudge, let's get a move on!" Raph was really getting pissed. Leo had both of his katana out and was waiting for Zarke to make the first move. Apparently, Raphael didn't have that kind of patience. He gave the giant two seconds to make a move and then flung boths his sais at Zarke and followed the attack up with a flying kick. Leo saw him leap into the air, and fell into a crouch, waiting for an opportune moment, when the enemy was distracted and he could strike.

Zarke laughed harshly, making Mikey wince. His chuckle sounded like steel being drug between two rocks! He knocked one sai out of the air with his swordarm and caught the other one. He ducked Raph's attack and turned after him, still in mid-air, and brought his sai down. Raph caught the blade in his hands and managed to yank it free.

Leo spotted an opening, with Zarke's back turned, and ran straight at him, swords at the ready. One rose into the air and slammed down.... on nothing. Zarke dropped to the ground, and swung his legs out in a move similiar to one he had already performed. Leo leapt over them and swung down, intending to wound this man in any way he could. Zarke was again too fast and got his limbs out of the way before the precious tendons could be cut.

Raph skidded to a halt, picked up his other sai, and threw only one this time, yelling at Leo in warning. The blue-clad turtle dropped and Zarke bounded out of reach, slashing twice with his sabre. Leo flattened himself in order to keep from losing his head and Raph leapt after Zarke, pushing off Leo's shell in order to gain momentum.

Grinning evilly, Zarke slid to a halt and pointed his swordarm straight out. Leo realized what he was doing in a single horrified second; he was going to spear Raph! The red banded turtle was too close; he couldn't stop! Leo burst into a sprint, trying to catch it, his eyes wide with horror, as he yelled, knowing it was too late,

"Raph! Look out!" He heard a similiar cry from Donatello and in the back of his mind, wondered why Mikey wasn't panicking too.

Something whistled past his ear and he slid to a halt, mouth falling open. A bent-up can beaned Zarke in the forehead and he stumbled, swordarm falling to the side. Raph slammed into him, sai ramming into the muscular shoulder. Zarke howled and knocked Raph away. The turtle tumbled away, struggling to stop himself. Leo quickly caught him before anything else bad happened to him and gave himself a moment to glance back at Mikey while Zarke was distracted.

The orange banded turtle was standing up, leaning on a trash can, and waving another butterbean can in the air, grinning like a maniac. Don was sitting behind him, face in his hands.

"Hahahahahaa! There's more where that came from, stupid Hun-look-alike!" Zarke's head came up and he stared at Mikey. In a single swift motion, he stood up, drew the sai soundlessly from his shoulder, and hurled it at Mikey who ducked with a startled, high-pitched scream. Raph snarled in rage, pulling free of Leo, but before he could do more than take a step, Zarke was running with all his huge might toward Mikey and Don.

Both of the older turtles took off, terrified for their younger siblings, but they were in no way as fast as Zarke, who moved as if his feets had wings. Leo yelled at the two shocked turtles to get out of there, and to do it now. Mikey showed himself long enough to smack Zarke with another can, not doing much to slow him down before Don yanked him out of the way.

Zarke brought his swordarm down and growled in surprise when an orange nunchuck wrapped around the blade, halting it in its path downward toward Don's face. Mikey whirled his other nunchuck and snapped,

"I don't think so! That's my know-it-all brother you trying to kill!" Don rolled out of the way as the ferocious turtle swung his other nunchuck at Zarke's face. The giant man grabbed it and yanked Mikey within reach. The turtle yelped and freed his other nunchuck, smacking Zarke's hand when he did so. The man jerked in surprise and pain, giving Mikey just enough time to leap out of reach again. He leapt off the car's back and rolled in mid-air, slamming his nunchuka against Zarke's shoulders, knocking him unto his back, with Mikey standing over him and grinning.

"Listen, buddy." His voice turned dangerous. "You may think you're all that in a bag of Lays Ruffles, but you aren't. Not against me." Leo and Raph arrived shortly after. The eldest turtle ran to check on the shaken Don, while Raph came to stand next to Mikey.

"Good job, bro." He complimented, nudging his youngest brother in a startling display of affection. Mikey grinned back.

"That's only natural for a BATTLE NEXUS CHAMPION!" He gloated, twirling his nunchuka and looking extremely smug. Raph's grin switched to a frown and he whacked Mikey upside the head.

"I can still crunch your shell and you know it." He told the other, hands on hips. "Now, where's my other sai?"

Leo turned around, helping Don up, and his eyes widened.

"Guys! Move! Zarke has it!" Mikey turned back around to look at Zarke and jerked. The giant man did have Raph's other sai and was drawing back for a throw. Raph saw it too and, with a not-too-gentle elbow, knocked Mikey down and grabbed Zarke's arm, sending the sai flying upwards.

"I got it!" Leo leapt into the air and grabbed the sai.

Mikey yelped as suddenly, Zarke grabbed him, and placed his swordarm across Mikey's throat. Raph snarled and Don cried out. Leonardo landed, holding Raph's sai and froze, seeing the danger his youngest brother was in.

Zarke's eyes narrowed, seeing the reactions of his captive's brothers and realizing the chance he had with this turtle. Mikey's hands came up to grip the sword, trying to keep it away from his throat, where his precious artery still pumped.

"Drop your weapons. Now." Zarke ordered. The three turtles glanced at each other, Leo's teeth gritting. He was kicking himself big time.

"Drop them!" Zarke snarled. Raph glanced back at him and his eyes widened slightly. Blood was dripping from Mikey's fingers as he tried to keep the sword at least a few inches away. The pain in Michelangelo's face was more than he could take. His sai clattered to the ground. A second later, Leo dropped Raph's sai, and then both of his swords. Don's bo was nowhere to be seen, so he just knelt with his hands up. _Shell._

Zarke grinned. Finally!

"Stay back! Your brother and I are taking a trip." He growled, backing up and forcing Mikey to do the same. Blood was making the blade slippery and Raph took a step.

"Don't even think about it!" Zarke snarled, slashing with the sword. It was what Mikey had been looking for. His blood had nearly coated half the sword's length. He met Raph's eyes and made a beckoning gesture, asking him to come closer. His older brother took another step and Zarke yanked the sword again, but it was still held back by Mikey, and the blade was nearly all soaked in his blood, which was really making Raph mad.

Mikey made the gesture again and Raph stared at him. The younger turtle puffed his cheeks in exasperation, and murmured,

"Just do it, already!" Raph read his lips, prayed to anyone listening that this would work out well, and took another step. Zarke yelled, deranged,

"Fine! I'll take off his head if that's-" Mikey twisted the blade as it sliced and the flat of the wet blade hit his neck and slid right off. Mikey ducked under his blade, jumped forward, performing a perfect headstand. Then he kicked Zarke twice, grimacing as his cut fingers hit the ground. With a loud groan, Zarke stumbled backwards and landed on his butt. Raph was quick on the uptake, but Leo was even faster.

The blue-clad turtle sprinted ahead and slashed Zarke's throat with both of his katana. The man groaned again, staring up at Leonardo as blood spilled from his neck.

"No one. Hurts my family. And lives." The turtle told him firmly. Raph slid to a halt besides him, glaring at the man who had almost ruined their lives forever. A single kick put the dead man on his back. Mikey came to his feet, looking at his cut up fingers with distaste. Leo turned and went to him.

"That was-" He paused. "And interesting plan, Mikey. You're learning to think ahead." Mikey gave him a look and turned to Don.

"I'm not gonna lose any fingers right?" He asked, panicky, all bravado gone. Don grinned, rubbing his chin, his relief almost palpable.

"Maaaaybe."

"What? Whaddya mean 'maybe'? I have to be able to play video games! I can't live without my-"

"Calm down, shelferbrains, I'll fix your fingers. And your leg."

"What happened to 'is leg?"

"He cut it, Raph, in the explosion."

"Guys, guys, were are you going?!"

"We're going home, silly. What does it look like?"

"WHAT? Don't leave me!"

"Ugh, fine. I'll carry you."

"Wait, what? No! Leo, save me!"

"Nah, I think it'll be good for you, to ride piggyback. Relaxing."

"Rela- Are you nuts?"

"Heheheheh.. I'm gonna enjoy this."

"LEO!"

The blue-clad turtle wiped his bloody katanas on Zarke's chest and reminded himself to call April and check on Kameko. They'd find out who had sold her and her family. And hopefully reunite them.

"Leo! Help!"

Thwack.

~~Just kidding about being the end of the story. I promised more of Kameko, so you shall see more of Kameko. There will be an epilogue to this story. I'm sorry it was so short, but I am promising you one more chapter and then hopefully, another bigger story. Savvy? Be nice to the author. ~~


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